Russia has damaged 8.5 GW of power generation since October 2025: Ukraine needs US$1bn in aid

Russian attacks have damaged 8.5 GW of power generation capacity in Ukraine since October 2025, particularly thermal and hydropower plants.

Source: Oleksii Sobolev, Ukraine's Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, speaking at the Ukraine House in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on 20 January, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote from Sobolev: "Much of this was rebuilt, and then attacked and destroyed again, and this keeps happening."

Details: Sobolev said protecting these facilities would be cheaper than rebuilding them, but Ukraine lacks sufficient air defence assets.

He noted that Ukraine is offsetting the deficit by importing a record 1.9 GW of electricity from European suppliers.

Meanwhile, he noted that Russian attacks this winter, which is one of the coldest in many years, have led to thousands of homes in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv being cut off from electricity, water and heating.

Quote: "We have to get through this part of the hard winter. We need equipment, but the stocks have been depleted. Right now, urgent needs amount to US$1 billion: generating capacity, mobile substations, backups and equipment."

Details: Sobolev added that generators with a total capacity of more than 1 GW are already operating in Ukraine and helping to keep businesses running, but they also face difficulties in such freezing weather, so more are needed.

Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it cost Ukraine at least €80 million to repel Russia's large-scale combined attack on the night of 19-20 January. He said it is not that Ukraine has fewer air defence missiles, but Russia has more.

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